Too many on-line reviewers focus on the negative. All they do is complain about stuff they don't like. This blog is about the things I do like.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Hellboy: Being Human

Written by Mike MignolaArt by Richard Corben

It's about time we see Roger the Homunculus again. I was pretty surprised when he was written out of the BPRD series (oh yah, spoiler), as he was developing into a find character, and I'm glad that Mignola has brought him back for this one-shot set in the year 200o. I could be wrong, but I think this is the first of the Hellboy one-shots that fits between stories that fit in contemporary continuity, as opposed to being stories from his time in the Bureau before his comics started. As the Mignola-verse more or less runs in real-time (kind of like Hellblazer), it does provide a lot of opportunity for "untold tales".

Anyway, this is a very cool issue, featuring Hellboy and Roger going to investigate what is supposed to be a simple haunting, to give Roger a bit of field experience. The set up is very similar to the BPRD series that is being published right now, which features Liz Sherman's first assignment for the Bureau as well. Of course, the haunting is not as simple as expected.

What makes this book work so well is more terrific art from Richard Corben. He's so good on this book, and this issue is no exception.

1 comment:

There has been at least one other Hellboy one-shot that takes place outside of the contemporary continuity. It was also a Mignola/Corben collaboration called Hellboy In Mexico that told the story of Hellboy’s “lost weekend” in Mexico back in 1956. This is one of my all –time favorites. Also, although it was three issue mini-series, The Crooked Man took place in 1958 and was also a Mignola/Corben collaboration. Do I sense a trend here?